“The Chief is now affording them discretion and I think that’s the area that conflicts with the state law," said Tyler Izen, president of the L.A. Police Protective League. "The state law is pretty clear: if you’re an unlicensed driver, and you’re driving a vehicle, your car will be impounded and held for 30 days.”

According to Izen, the new law also leaves police officers subject to potential liability if a car released under the shorter one-day policy is involved in an accident that causes injury or death.

"We are seeking a judge to affectively tell us how we can both follow state law and follow department policy and not have them conflict," Izen concluded.

But immigration advocates who had been pushing for the change in the impoundment policy say the 30-day rule unfairly targeted working-class undocumented immigrants who cannot, by law, obtain a driver’s license.

Carlos Montes is with the Southern California Immigration Coalition.

“I think that the Police Protective League is just targeting undocumented immigrants and their priority is the revenues that are generated by the impoundment of cars, by the official police garage."

The L.A. Police Protective League insists its decision to take legal action isn’t a position on immigration policy, but rather, on police protection.